With much humility I assumed office as Acting President of the Institute upon the departure of Professor Anthony B.L. Cheung, who is now serving in a new role as one of the principal policy secretaries of the HKSAR Government.

I count my blessings for having inherited a sound and thriving Institute, with support from all quarters. However, my responsibility will not be light. Firmly grounded in the “Education-plus” vision as articulated in the Strategic Plan 2009-12 and Beyond, the former President laid down a solid foundation upon which we can move forward with clear intention beyond 2012. At the time of the Report’s preparation, the Institute was in the process of mapping out its strategic direction for the coming three years, with the objective of moving our transformation to an even higher level.

Bolstering the capacity of our students will remain one of the main thrusts of the Institute’s development in the 2012-15 triennium. With the implementation of the 3-3-4 academic structure at the university level in 2012-13, the Institute will provide its students with both solid academic and professional training, and a new holistic common curriculum that covers General Education, Co-curricular Learning, Field Experience / Internship, Overseas Learning Experience and Language Enhancement. Our aim will be to prepare students to be global citizens who embrace cultural diversity. We will be seeking to groom them as professionally competent, intellectually active, socially caring and globally aware future leaders with high ethical standards.

Building on its research infrastructure and the academic leadership of Chair Professors and Professors, the Institute will continue to strengthen the capacity of its academic staff and further advance the already established research-active culture. The Institute’s critical mass of scholars is currently unleashing intellectual power, championing innovation and change in Education and the complementary discipline areas of the Humanities, the Social Sciences and Creative Arts and Culture. Through their research and scholarship, the Institute’s academics facilitate knowledge transfer, benefiting the education and wider communities in Hong Kong and beyond.

The Institute will continue to reinforce its leadership role in promoting education agendas, collaboration and networking locally, regionally and internationally. With teacher education and grooming future leaders in education as its first priority, the Institute will also contribute actively to Hong Kong’s role as a regional education hub, extending the impact of its teaching and research to enhance development and quality in education.

In the coming year and beyond, the Institute community will work with unswerving determination in its transformation on four fronts – transforming its students and graduates, transforming its capacity, transforming schools and the community, and transforming the regional education landscape. By staying focused on these transformations, I trust that the Institute will become one of the leading educational institutions in the region.

With the wise counsel of the Council and the support of the senior management, staff, students and alumni, I vow to work tirelessly and proactively for the best interests of the Institute as we forge ahead with the goal of becoming a University of Education, and in the intervening period before the recruitment of a new President.

Professor Cheng Yin-cheong
Acting President
September 2012